SPIN FACTOR® - The HSX Blog

Whisper Numbers: The Lego Movie faces a trio of remakes

As flashback to the ‘80s hits theaters over the President’s Day long weekend, the animated blockbuster The Lego Movie [LEGO] will remain the top film at the box office. With phenomenal word of mouth, The Lego Movie may pile on another $50 million over the 4-day holiday weekend.

RoboCop [ROBOC] got a head-start on the weekend of ‘80s remakes taking in $2.8 million on Wednesday. The updated model stars Joel Kinnaman [JKINN] as the cyborg police officer patrolling the streets of Detroit. The Sony remake retains the socio-political commentary from the 1987 original, while updating the special effects for the next generation. The new version carries a teen-friendly PG-13 rating, which should expand the audience from the older males familiar with the R-rated original. The trailers have been received favorably by sci-fi fanboys and the reviews are better than expected. RoboCop looks to book $28 million over the long weekend from 3372 precincts.

Sony is also releasing the romantic comedy About Last Night [ABLNT], a remake of the 1986 sex drama starring Rob Lowe and Demi Moore. While Michael Ealy [MEALY] and Joy Bryant [JBRYA] have the lead roles, the marketing campagin have centered around Kevin Hart [KHART], who’s hot coming off Ride Along just last month. The R-rated film should be the number one choice for adult couples, especially with Friday being Valentine’s Day. The PG-13 rated Think Like A Man from the same people opened to $33.6 million nearly 2 years ago. Playing in 2253 theaters, About Last Night could score $26 million through Monday.

Universal targets young women with its remake of the 1981 romance Endless Love [ENDLS]. Alex Pettyfer [APETT] and Gabriella Wilde [GWILD] star in the PG-13 rated love story with a psychological edge. Opening 2893 theaters, Endless Love may end up with $14 million over the 4-day period.

The Monuments Men [MONUM] should continue to draw from older adults to bring in around $13 million in its second weekend.

Warner Bros.' Winter’s Tale [WINTL] is also setting its sights on the Valentine’s Day movie crowd. The PG-13 rated fantasy about a time-crossed romance may be too challenging to find its audience. The presence of Colin Farrell [CFARR] and Russell Crowe [RCROW] are not enough to overcome the film’s mediocre buzz. Showing in 2965 theaters, Winter’s Tale may tally $11 million over the holiday weekend.